Study Reveals What New Moms Really Need — Their Mom

When a new mom has questions about her baby, all she needs to do is a quick online search to find dozens of answers. However, a new study found that moms would rather skip the Google search and head straight to her best resource – her own mom.

According to a new study, published in the journal Reproduction, Health, and Medicine, self-help books for pregnant women and new moms continue to make the recommendation that mothers should follow medical guidance over their mom’s advice because there is too much of a “generational disconnect” between news mom and their own mothers. However, new moms still rely on the emotional support of their own mothers throughout their pregnancy and beyond. Because after all, mother knows best — even if we have to update her on a few things.

For the study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati conducted in-depth interviews with moms-to-be and their moms. If the pregnant woman did not have an active mother in her life, she had another female figure that served the same motherly role. They found that previous studies that stated there was a “disconnect” between the generations weren’t relevant to these mother/daughter duos.

“I found that most pregnancy self-help books, best known for their month-by-month guidance on fetal development and lifestyle coaching, are also empathic about following medical advice exclusively over what they consider the outdated advice of a mother or friend,” wrote Danielle Bessett, author of the study. “Nearly all of the pregnant women I interviewed who were in contact with their mothers consulted them to assess issues related to pregnancy embodiment.”

Bessett added that while the new moms still received most of their information from their doctors, they were searching for something different when it came to the advice they needed from their own mothers.

“They leaned more on their doctors for advice about what to eat and what tests to have, but turned to their moms for advice on child care and for emotional support and talked a lot about the ways in which bodies change as a result of pregnancy,” Bessett said.

While it is important to make sure that moms – as well as anyone that will be caring for your baby – have updated info on safe practices, it’s nice to see that having your mother around is still a great option for those starting out.